The Corvallis Farmers Market's opening day is April 14! The Wednesday market begins April 18, and both markets are open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is the 38th season for the Wednesday market and the 28th for the Saturday market.

On opening day in Corvallis you can hear the music of Blues & Sunshine, a local band, and check out a special event booth from Oregon State's College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science. The OSU vet medicine students will be at the market, too, promoting the upcoming OSU Pet Day.

The Corvallis Farmers Market - Wednesday and Saturday editions - are located on 1st Street, between Jackson and Monroe Avenues (map).

The Saturday Corvallis Farmers Market has a changing lineup of 50 to 70 vendors per week, and the Wednesday market usually offers 20 to 30 vendors. Early market weeks feature spring raab and many other greens, potatoes and other storage vegetables, radishes, fresh turnips, carrots, rhubarb, preserved foods, honey, eggs, meat, poultry, and cheese, plus nursery plants and cut flowers. On the other extreme, the last market on Wednesday, Nov. 21, will feature much of what will be on Thanksgiving tables the next day.

Those interested in keeping their dollars circulating locally and knowing who grew their dinner can rely on farmers’ market guidelines that prohibit any resale. Most vendors are selling agricultural products they grew in a six-county area: Benton, Linn, Lincoln, Lane, Marion and Polk counties.

Shop Like a Pro: Tips for Shopping the Corvallis Farmers Market

Experienced market shoppers walk around the market before making purchases. They get to know individual farmers, try samples of unfamiliar foods and get recipes and other cooking advice. When it’s time to preserve the harvest by drying, freezing or canning, savvy shoppers know farmers they can ask for quantity discounts.

All markets include a market booth, marked with brightly colored pennants, where customers with Oregon Trail cards and debit cards can buy wooden tokens to use for making purchases.

Remember to bring a few shopping bags with you to carry your loot home. But if you forget, don't worry: The market booth sells cloth market bags, which help to fund the Corvallis Farmers Market's SNAP Match program.

Don't worry about hunger pangs caused by displays of beautiful food - there are food carts at the Farmers Markets, plus you're surrounded by great restaurants in downtown Corvallis, Oregon.

Some information is available at the market booth, but more information is available online. Market shoppers can use features on www.LocallyGrown.org to search for particular vendors and view interactive maps showing the location of vendors on each market day. Music and other events are listed as well.

Article provided by Rebecca Landis of the Corvallis-Albany Farmers Markets.